Hey,

So Father's day is coming up and my parents Keurig finally died. They don't want to move back into that market but aren't sure what to go for.

I'm a espresso guy, even though they love a good cappo or americano they aren't ready to put in the time or money.

I have been considering their options but I admit they want it all.

They want something that can make a single cup fairly easily, a larger brew for a bigger group and do that all quite easily without the environmental impact of the pods.

Originally I thought about pour over, maybe one of the brewers like the Ottomatic, I also considered just a grinder and a couple different size espro french press pots. But that might even be a bit too messy for them. Then I started to wonder about the drip coffee machines with internal grinders. Maybe that is something they should look at. Keep in mind even though they know the quality of the Keurig coffee is bad they are not too fussy. Mainly I want to get them on fresh beans.

Thanks

I have not had good luck with brewers that have integrated grinders and wouldn't recommend them. Issues like grind quality are usually sacrificed for space, water vapor often gets into the grinds exit chute and makes a mess, and if the grinder breaks you're stuck with half a machine, kind of like those TV / VCR combos.

I think that there's been advancements with machines that have integrated grinders an apps for your phone to control them, but seems like overkill. You should look at SCAA approved brewers and a Baratza grinder to start out with. Here's a list of SCAA approved brewers, I own and recommend the Brazen brewer by Behmor, but have put it away because I've been doing pour-over since I don't have enough call for brewing pots of coffee:

• Technivorm Moccamaster
• Bunn Phase Brew 8 Cup Coffee Brewer
• Bonavita 8 Cup Exceptional Brew Coffee Maker with glass or thermal carafe (BV1800)
• Brazen Plus Customizable Temperature Control Brew System
• KitchenAid Coffee Maker KCM0802

Since they are coming from a situation of extreme convenience, I doubt they'd be happy with an extremely manual method of coffee-making.

I'd go with a nice electric burr-grinder (I can't offer suggestions as to which one, as I only grind with manual hand grinders, but I know there are plenty of nice ones that they'd be fine with), and some sort of decent auto-drip method. If you/they have the budget for it, then something like the Ottomatix isn't a bad choice - because then you can show them how to make a good manual pour-over with the Chemex pot.

You might also consider buying them an Airscape cannister, too.

The new Oxo coffee maker is also SCAA certified.

Consider a Breville Grind Control.

Very few coffeemakers can switch between single cup and full carafe. The only machine that I know that can do that and grind is the Grind Control, which also has good reviews, e.g., gizmodo's. I was going to buy one a while back, but bought a Beko instead .